The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1887-06-23
W. C. T. i. DEPARTMENT.
edited by the Ladies of the W, C,T.UJ
TFEE STORY OF THE CRU
SADIE.
with IA Brief Sketch OfNIrs. Eli-
"a Trimble Thompson, the
Leader. December
33rd. 1928,

its anniversaries will beranked among
our national festivals. True, in FIRE.
donia, New York, the protest of wo-
men against the snares men legalize
under the name Of SALOONS" and "sam-
pie rooms" had begun, under the lead
ership of Mrs. Judge Barker, eight
days before. True, in Washington
Court House, Ohio, on the oath, no.
BILE Mrs. Carpenter led heroic band
to far grander victory. But the first
eddy OF that Whirlwind Of the Lord,
which in few weeks had swept over
the great State of Ohio, and grown to
the huge proportions of the Woman's S
Temperance Crusade, begun in Hills
boro', Ohio, December %, 1873. By
common consent of her sisters in the
united chuches of the village VIII ere
almost her whole life had been spent,
Mrs Eliza j. Thompson was chosen
to lead the first band on its first visit
to a saloon. Never did character and
circumstance conspire to form a GEN.
trail figure better suited to the sigpifi-
cant occasion. "The first Crusader"
gentle-mannered lady of sixty years,
had been from her early days men,
bel Of Christ's church and always
prominent in charitable work, thus
endearing herself to the class whose
antagonism her new departure would
naturally arouse. She is wife, moth
er, and grandmother, loving and be-
loved with marks upon her face OF
the grief which renders sacred which
disarms criticism, and in this instance,
has significance too deep for tears.
She is the only daughter Of Governor
Trimble, than whom Ohio never had
a chief magistrate more true.
Nearly forty years before, she had
accompanied that noble father when
he went as a delegate to the earliest
national temperance convention,
which was so small that its opening
meeting was held in the dining-room
Of a Saratoga hotel of that period.
Going with him to the door of this
dignified assembly where the white
cravats Of the clergy were a feature OF
prominence, the timid Ohio girl whis.
pered, 80, papa I'm afraid to enter
those gentlemen may think it an in
trusion. l should be the only lady
don't you see?" Upon this the Gov
ernor replied, MY daughter should
never be afraid, even if she is alone in
a good cause" and taking her by the
arm, he drew her into the convention
What a prophecy was the first en-
trance of woman-and this woman
upon a temperance convention made
up of men! Read its fulfillment il
her now happy home, her lawyer hus
bands leadership Of the home protec
ton movement in Ohio, and in the
procession of white-ribbon workers
that belts the world to-day.
1t is worth while to preserve in he
own language the account OF tina
strange "cal'' which came to Mrs
Thompson in 1878. She wrote out 10
a near friend in the following words
con the evening of Dec. 22, 1873
Dio Lewis, a Boston physician ant
lyceum lecturer, delivered in Musi
Hall, Hillsboro, Ohio, q lecture OF
Our Girls.
"He had been engaged by the Lee
tuTe Association some months befor
to fill one place in the winter course G
lectures merely for the entertainment
: OF the people But finding that h
could remain another evening an
still reach his next appointment
, Washington G. H. he consented t
give another lecture on the evenin
OF the 3rd. Atthe suggestion OF Judg
p Albert Matthews, an old-line tempe.
ance man and Democrat, free leC
ture on Temperance because the o
p der of the evening,
II did not her Dio Lewis lecture Ga
o though he was our guest.) became {
t home cares that required my presenc
q but my son, a youth of sixteen, wa
there, and he came to me upon h
= return home and in a most excitin
! manner related the thrilling inciden
Of the evening-how DR.. Lewis told
his own mother and several of HI
q good Christian friends uniting
J. prayer with and for the liquor selle.
d OF his his native town until they ga,
l. up their soul-destroying business, an
l. then said,-Ladies, you might do Il
same thing in Hillsboro you had IL
same faith, and, turning to the mi
listers and temperance men who we
- upon the platform, added, Suppose
- ask the ladies OF this audience to 81
nifty their opinions upon the subject
( They all bowed their consent, and fif
or more women stood up in token
r approval He then asked the gent
y men how many Of them would stal
Of as 'backers,' should the ladies undt
Of take the work, and sixty or seven
m arose. And now, mother, said n
rs hov sthpv have pOt Won into husinel